From The PIT
by Rotor576
Summary: Welcome to The PIT! Here, you can bet money on pokemon death-matches! It's quite illegal, but it's not like I own the place. Me? I'm down at the arena, fighting for my life. I was doing this, since I was little... but not for much longer. I WILL find a way out. I'll form my own pack and learn to live under the sun again. Can't be that hard! Look out world! Here We Come!
1. Prologue: How it all begun

**Prologue: How it all begun,**

How do you start a story? Well… at the beginning I guess. I've never been much of a story teller... that was always Armor's thing… but if you want to hear it from me, then I'll try my best to tell it as well as I can.

Well… the easiest way to start, is that it all started with Arceus. But that would not be my story. My story begun in Hoenn…

 _ **-§-**_

„But Mommy, I don't wanna go!" Whined the little zorua to his mother at Route 101.

„We have already talked about this sweetie," The zoroark replied, as they made their way thru the bushes. „To stay healthy, you have to eat meat, and to eat meat, you have to learn how to hunt."

The zorua had to work hard to keep up with his mother's speed as he ran after her, but still tried to convince her to change her mind.

„I could eat berries!" He replied, happy to have been able to come up with an idea. „I've seen other predators eat them!" He explained, while he managed to catch up to her.

„That is true," Said his mother, still walking. "But you would still have to eat meat, since you are a growing body" She said and then paused for a moment. The zoroark checked her surroundings than looked at her son and continued her speech. "and the only way you can do that, is by hunting" True the berries would keep him alive, but to grow stronger, he needed meat.

„But I don't wanna hurt others!" Continued the zorua.

„Then don't!" The annoyed vixen replied. At this point she's got tired of her son's crying. „I taught you how to hunt, how to kill, so you can take the life of your pray, without causing it much suffering! Hunting is not about fun, but survival! You are a predator and you will take the life of others to stay alive. So now you can either start to hunt for yourself, or starve to DEATH!"

She didn't want to shout, but her sons protesting made her loose her cool. She didn't enjoy the thought of taking a life either, but to live, a predator needed to hunt. The zorua was clearly crying now and once his mother realized what she just did, she kneeled down to her son, and started nuzzling him slowly and carefully.

„I… I'm sorry sweetie… I know it's hard, but as a predator, you need to kill in order to survive. That's how the world works."

The little zorua kept crying in his mother's arms until she started slowly stroking his furry head. He always enjoyed that and the warm feeling of his mother's fur around him.

„It's only hard at first… You'll get used to it in time" Said the zoroark, still sorry for shouting at her son.

„A- and if I… find myself a trainer?" Replied the zorua. „I would be fed, and I could grow stronger by battling others…"

„But there are no guaranties, you'll be caught by a good trainer. They could just sell you to some rich people or worse... and I couldn't bear the thought of you being mistreated by some fool who thinks of you like some kind of animal. You can't trust humans these days. They're not as kind to us as they once were."

After the zorua calmed down, the two started to walk again until they reached a small glade in the forest. The zoroark looked around and after she made sure they were alone, turned to her son.

„I'll leave you to it now. If you think you can't do it, just return to the cave and we'll figure something out. Is that okay with you?"

The little zorua looked nervous, but nodded. „I will do my best… but if it doesn't work out… you… you'll still love me right?"

The zoroark knelt down again, and kissed his forehead. „I will always love you… no matter what happens. Remember that"

„Okay Mommy"

The zoroark turned away and with a powerful jump, disappeared in the forest.

As his mother left, the young hunter started to get his mind on the job at paw. He couldn't get into a fight, he can't win and even if he could win, it likely won't be a clean kill and he didn't want his pray to suffer. He needed to stick to the shadows of the trees and cloak himself with illusion so his opponent couldn't see him coming and he could launch a surprise attack. If he could hit the neck with a powerful enough scratch, his pray would be down before it could feel any pain.

„ _Yeah… that'll work"_

 _ **-§-**_

After two hours of searching, he couldn't find a single zigzagoon or poochyena. That made no sense. This place was always full of pokemon before, but now, there were no one in sight. Something was wrong. The sun shined brightly and there were only one or two small clouds in the sky. It was a perfect summer day, and yet he couldn't find a sole.

" _Did I do something wrong? I thought I did everything as mommy told me to, so they couldn't have noticed me… but then why isn't anyone here?"_

As he thought about where he's going to find pray now, he noticed a certain sweet scent in the air. It was… sweet. That's the only way he could describe it. He couldn't tell what was it, but it smelled so good. Even if he couldn't recognize the strange smell, he just had to follow it.

„ _Wha… what is this?"_ Thought the little zorua as the smell made him go right in the middle of a clearing.

Once he reached the source of the scent, he heard a male voice call out.

„Sleeping Powder!"

And before he passed out, the last thing he remembered was a round object hitting his head.

 _ **-§-**_

„And what are you two so happy about?" Asked a man in red suit to the other two, who just arrived.

„You won't believe it boss! We couth a zorua!" Sad one of the two.

„Like real man! It was like Sweet Scent! Sleeping Powder! Pokeball! And BOOM! We got a zorua!" Shouted the other. „The boss will be so pleased!"

„We could even get a promotion!" Shouted the first one.

„Or we could just sell it and earn a big pay" Sad calmly the one in charge.

The other two just stared at him in confusion.

„What?" They asked the same time as their boss started explaining his plan.

"True, we could give it to the boss and earn a promotion, but then what? We get a harder job with more work. Or…"

„Or?" The other two asked still trying to process, what their leader is telling them.

„Or we could just sell it to the right guy and earn ourselves lots of money for little work." Finished the man, with now a big gin in his face. The other two were quick to jump at his offer.

 _ **-§-**_

You've probably guessed it by now and yes… that zorua was me. As they sad, the three men sold me to someone with a lot of money and experience in the underground fighting arenas. They got their money and I got a shiny little collar around my neck to keep me in line. If I tried to use my illusion ability or any special attacks, I got myself shocked. That took me a few days to figure out. That kind of equipment is not easy to find or get, so my special collar only made me more valuable in the eyes of my owners. It was hard to get used to. Switching the beautiful forest, to the small cage they kept me in between duals until death. The stealthy and calm lifestyle to never ending death-matches.

At first I cried. After my first kill, I felt sick to my stomach. I started to deny… I said I didn't have a choice… but in the end… I was the one who made the decision. It was 'Kill or be killed' and I made the choice to kill in order to survive. After all… that is how the world works.

The hard truth was… I was good at it… and I kept doing it, until one day...

 _ **-§-**_

It has been ten years since the zoruas' capture. Since then, he had lots of different owners. Some were kind to him, others... not so much and even more simply didn't care. They all had something in common thought… they were all humans… and all they wanted from him is to kill others, so they can earn money on the matches.

There was only one exception. His current owner. He was smarter than the others. The man bought him after he evolved into a zoroark. He gave him a name, a weapon, a better cell, a mate… and all he needed in return… was for the zoroark, to put on a good show in the arena. His arena.

The Rangers did a very good job in shutting down the illegal fighting rings, but that only made this one, more popular to the underground fighters. It was only referred to as "The PIT". This was an underground prison once, with only one entrance in the surface, currently owned by the man, all the there kept Pokemon called Master. The same man the zoroark was going to see.

 _ **-§-**_

"Is he really that good? A zoroark without illusions or special attacks, doesn't seems to be such a big deal"

"Oh, he is! He has been here for five years now and never lost a match since. And to do that with only physical attacks... he certainly is something. Even managed to escape three times by now. We only managed to catch him because of his collar"

"That really is something. Better keep my eyes open"

"Relax... as long as there are two of us watching him, he can't do a thing"

"I could always kill one of you"

The two men froze on spot as they heard the deep voice. They were both in full body armor, pointing weapons at the zoroark, who they were ordered to lead down the hallway to his owner's office. They were certainly not expecting the zoroark to talk to them. The older was the first to recover from the surprise, and answered.

"Well, look who decided to finally join the conversation!" Answered the man, without any worry in his voice. The younger on the other hand...

"IT CAN TALK!?"

The zoroark covered his sensitive ears at the sudden scream. He always hated loud voices. Being a creature of the night, it only made sense.

"It can also hear you, so stop screaming!" Replied the annoyed fox, still covering his ears.

The younger man, still in chock turned to his partner, grabbed him by the shoulder and started shaking him. "It can talk! Pokemon are NOT supposed to talk!" Only for the older to smack him in the face.

"Get a hold of yourself kid! And don't let your guard down!" Said the older, as he pointed his gun at the zoroark. "What makes you so talkative today Grimm? Hasn't heard you talk since last month." Asked the man from the smirking zoroark.

The smirk in Grimm's face only grew bigger as he answered.

"Just messing with the newbie" He replied before busting out laughing.

After the younger guard had calmed down, the three continue on their way. The old hallway was lighted by old neon lamps extinguishing every once in a while.

"So he could talk the whole time?" The newbie kept asking, as he kept his eyes at the zoroark before him all times, his hands shaking slightly.

"As long as I've been here, he could" Replied the older calmly, but paying more attention now. This was not his first time escorting Grimm and he knew the fox wouldn't attack them, as long as they keep calm and don't let him out of sight. At least they still kept their eyes on him...

Grimm on the other hand was very amused. All this time, being captive and forced to fight, his favorite source of fun was to mess with the guards. He knew he couldn't escape. There was only one exit and even if he could make it past the guards, the collar would zap him unconscious. That didn't stop him from trying though. And boy he was good... These two were already nervous. If he played his cards right, he could even make the younger faint. Now that would be hilarious.

As they kept walking the guards continued on their conversation, still keeping their eyes and weapons at the fox, only blinking now and then.

"How do you think he learned to talk?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say one of his previous owners taut him. On the other hand, he only talks to insult the boss, or annoy the other guards, so that's unlikely"

"Insult the boss? Why on Earth would he do that?"

"No idea... You should ask him"

All three of them stopped, as the zoroark suddenly turned to the young guard. His deep red eyes glowed as the lights extinguished for a few seconds. Still wearing his smirk full of sharp teeth. His blood red claws and mane, made him look even more dangerous in the dark.

"Ask away kid... I won't **BITE**... we still have some time to **KILL**!"

That was it. The guard leaned to the wall next to him and fell on the ground unconscious.

The zoroark also fell on the ground, not from fright, but from laughter. However it only took a few seconds to turn that laughter to painful screams, as his collar activated. Pain shoots true his entire body as the electricity traveled true his veins and mussels. This was nothing like the he felt during a dual. Cracking bones, cutes on the skin, burns, or even freezes. This was pain, he couldn't do anything about.

While the zoroark was in agony, the older guard, who have been trying to wake his unconscious partner was now frozen in fear... but not from the zoroark. The two only reason Grimms' collar would activate was, if he had gone outside, or if his master activated it remotely... and now he was in the building.

"I asked you to bring that pathetic creature to my office and you couldn't even do that much!"

The voice belonged to a tall skinny man, dressed in black suit, with dark blue hair, just long enough to cover his cold blue eyes. He was in his early twenties, young enough to appear innocent, but smart enough to run a fighting arena, without the rangers noticing. The man was companied by four muscular bodyguards, wearing similar equipment as the two, who supposed to escort the zoroark to him.

"Wait, Boss! It's not our fault! He started to talk and me... I mean us... I mean-" The man tried to talk himself out of it, but to no avail. His employer didn't even let him finish as he started walking to them, finally letting go of the collars remote controller in his right hand.

As the pain stopped, the zoroark tried to get his racing heart and rapid breathing under control again. Still lying on the floor, exhausted by the collars effects, he could only watch as his master approached the panicking guard.

"Tell me what pathetic excuse, do you have for this disgrace" He talked, ever so calmly, but his cold blue eyes never left the guard's as he walked past the washed-up fox.

He only stopped walking, when he was so close, their noses almost touched.

"You are going to grab that sorry excuse of a guard, you call your partner and disappear from my sight before I count to ten, or you'll find yourself in a cage full of hungry Pokemon at the next fight. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" The guard did as he was told without a moment hesitation, and ran as fast as he could, carrying his young partner in his arms.

"You are testing my patience Grimm." Said the young man to the zoroark as he turned to face him. "We'll talk about this at a later date... I have something very important, to talk to you about"

Grimm didn't like the sound of that, but had no choice at the matter. Still paralyzed by his collar, the four guards have picked him up and carried after his owner. Once they entered the office, the guards dropped him on the flour and moved to their position at the room. The room itself was very well decorated. The walls were full of pictures of pokemon winning competitions, there were some plants at one corner, a big desk, with a computer on it facing the entrance and the wall behind it, which was made of glass, giving a perfect view to the arena below.

The man takes his seat behind his desk and started his speech.

"I am very displeased with you Grimm" He began, looking up some papers as he continued.

"You have been here for two years and still haven't learned your place yet. You tried to escape three times, let thirty-two other pokemon escape, killing twenty guards' and injuring twelve at the process" The man stopped and take a deep breath before continuing. "The amazing fact is, I would still overlook these things, if you'd do as I told you to do"

Grimm clearly didn't like where this was going, but said nothing. It would do him no good to interrupt him in his monolog.

"The only thing I asked, for all I gave to you was to put on a show. Winning is important if you are challenging others, but since I own this place, the only thing you need to do is to be entertaining, so more and more people would come to see, or challenge you... But no matter what I do, you keep finishing off your opponents, with one strike, which is impressive..., but doesn't look entertaining, and cuts the match really short"

As he finished, he stood up from his desk and headed back towards the big glass wall, looking out at his arena, hands behind his back.

"All in all... I decided that you are clearly more trouble, than you are worth. So the only logical solution is to... get rid of you... so to speak"

As the paralysis had gone away, the zoroark slowly and carefully stood up, not wanting to risk hurting himself any further. His red eyes searched the room for his collars controller, finally locating it, still in his owner's hand.

 _"If only I could get my claws on that..."_ He taught, his eyes not leaving the target.

He took a small step forward to the man, but as soon as he did, he was targeted, by all the guards in the room. The zoroark froze in place, than slowly took a step back, not wanting to risk getting shot.

The man let out a chuckle and held up the small device. "Still wanting to get this I see..." He said, as he turned around to face the fox. "And what would you do whit it? It's not like you could leave if you have it"

"I could shove it down your throat and watch you suffocate from it. It would be quite amusing" Grimm replied, with a big smirk in his face, eyes still on the device. He could not have it... not now anyways. But there will be a chance. He'll make a mistake... at some point. They always do.

"Back to the matter at hand" The man replied, not affected by the zoroark's empty threats. He walked back to his desk and took a seat again.

"Fine" Grimm replied, unhappy that his threat had no effect in his owner. "But since you already revealed your plan... how about we play all-in on this one?"

"I'm listening"

"We bough know the only reason you don't kill me, is because the money you spent to get me. You spent money on me and if I were to die, that money would be lost. And I know you well enough to know, that you would never do such a thing" The zoroark paused for a minute and then continued. "You can't sell me either, because I know quite a tale, about you and your precious little fighting ring. If I would 'talk' to your rivals... or the Ranger Union..."

The man sighed. The fox did have a point there. Thankfully, he had a plan to solve all that.

"I believe it is my turn..." He began. The zoroark was surprised, that his owner was so eager to share his plan, but stayed calm and listened. "You do have a point... If I sell or kill you, I won't benefit from the outcome. But over the past ten years, you managed to become quite famous around the illegal fighting rings, to both humans and Pokemon alike. There are lots of Pokemon who would fight you for the glory and fame"

"If there are so many, why are most of my opponents unskilled or weak?" Asked the zoroark. "If you want me to put up a fight so much, the least you can do is give me a worthy opponent"

Grimm was very annoyed by the fact, that his opponents were no mach to him. Most of the time, they were half trained, inexperienced, beaten, starved, or rarely even children. Those were fights, he was not proud to win. He finished them off, with one strike, at a vital point, not wanting to extend their suffering. Even after ten years... that much didn't change.

"This time, you will have a worthy opponent"

Grimm could not believe his ears. Did he really just... going to give him, what he wants? " _No_ " He taught. " _I know better than, to expect him to just give in_ "

As the man saw the zoroarks' confused look, he started playing with his blue tie, as he started to explain his plan. "You refuse to put up a show in the arena, because of your moral code or something. I really couldn't care less. You're more trouble, than worth, so I need to get rid of you. The easiest solution... "

"Is to put me up against someone with enough skill to defeat me, but not enough moral to refuse you" Grimm finished for the man. So he did have a plan. And not half bad.

"You get your fight... and I get my new champion" The man said. He was clearly proud of his solution. He leaned back in his chair, turned around whit it and let out a happy sigh. He let his thoughts wonder. How he's going to order his new pet to kill Grimm. How he's going to get all that money back... and more. But suddenly he heard a chuckle. Grimm's chuckle.

"So you truly are playing it all-in huh?" He heard the zoroark ask, still chuckling.

He angrily turned around and stood up from his chair. "And what do you find so amusing?!"

Grimm was full out laughing now. "You pathetic fool... That is your plan?" He continued laughing. "You'll invite half the street gangs and crime families in Hoen to bet on me, the unbeaten champion, only to lose their money to you and expect them to just pay up and go about their lives?! Even if it would work, I will not lose to a Pokemon, who would obey you and once I beat him... I can watch your precious kingdom go out in FLAMES"

The man was furious at this point. Not only he figured out his plan, but he even managed to find a weak spot in it. And to top it all, he was laughing again. He hated when he laughed.

The zoroark's laughter stopped as he felt his collar activate again. However this time, it didn't last long. Just long enough for Grimm to fall in all-fours and to dig his claws into the carpet as he tried to endure the pain.

Once the fox stopped laughing and looked him in the eye, the man spoke again. "You are correct about one thing..." He started, but to everyone's surprise, he didn't sound angry at the slightest. "If I were to lose the bat... it would be quite... catastrophic for me. So I won't take any chance" He said as he walked past Grimm and opened the door behind him. He stepped out the room and started closing the door behind him slowly. "The boys will explain the rest"

 _ **-§-**_

The zoroark slowly started to wake in a dark room. The room itself wasn't much. No windows, no lamp, no nothing... just a thick metal door and an old bad, he was lying in. It wasn't comfortable, but it was still way better, than his old cage. He didn't remember much. Some parts of talking to the Master... He even let out a small chuckle as he remembered how he laughed at his face.

"Ouch" It hurt to laugh... he must have pissed him off again... no mystery there...

His head hurt... his body hurt... and he couldn't breathe quite as easy as he remembered.

" _Must have cracked a few ribs again._ " He though. But as he looked down, he noticed, that someone was lying on his chest. A delphox. A female delphox, who was lying in his chest, sleeping peacefully and hugging him tightly to herself, as she nuzzled him. He took a deep breath, ignoring the pain it caused him and sighed. As his chest lifted and sank down, the female slowly started to wake. She was a few years younger than the zoroark. Only hit her second evolution, half a year ago. She opened her beautiful leaf-green eyes and looked the male beneath her.

"Why did you wake me?" She asked in a sleepy, whining voice. Trying to get back to sleep, she covered her face in the zoroarks' fur and started to hug him even tighter. At the feel of the females' tight hug, Grimm let out a low growl of pain. As she realized she was hurting him, she quickly set up on her knees, trying to avoid causing any more harm to him. At this position, someone would assume they were doing some rather... private things.

"Are you okay?" The delphox asked, concerned for the zoroark.

"No... Not really..." He replied. "But I'll live..."

Grimm expected her to be angry. She always was, when he got hurt because he did something stupid. What he didn't expect was her, to slap him in the face, with her right palm.

"Ow... What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot!" She replied, still on top of him. "I've told you a thousand times. Getting him mad, would only get you hurt! You should just do as he says!"

"And be nothing more, than a pet?" She could feel his anger rising as he continued. "No, thanks. And you should know better than to think I would"

"I was just looking out for you! I don't want you to get hurt"

"And who asked you to do that?! I can look out for myself just fine!"

*SLAP* -came another blow from the fox. No surprise there. He knew he had it coming. What he didn't expect, was the feeling of her tears failing on his chest. She was crying.

"You… you know I'm NOT on his side! The only reason I say you should obey him, is because I don't want to see you get hurt!" She was screaming now. Every time they had an argument about this, it ended the same way.

Grimm just looked away, and calmly said "You wouldn't understand. You were born in this pit… I want to get out of here, and live under the sun again."

After a few seconds of silence, the delphox looked away as well. "You know we'll never leave this place alive." She said calmly. "You're by far the strongest of the Pokemon who are trapped in here, but even you must realize… you can't keep fighting forever."

"No" He replied calmly. "Not forever. Just as long as someone stronger beats me. It won't be long, now." He paused a little. "If what he said is true, this will be my last fight, either if I win or lose."

"What?"

"Just keep your eyes open. If you see the opportunity to run, just run and don't look back."

"I will not let you-"

"Please Cinder. If I'm right, this will be your only chance to taste freedom. Promise me you won't waste it."

He rarely called her by name, but when he did, he was serious. She didn't want to leave him behind, but if it truly meant so much to him…

"I promise."


	2. Chapter 1 - Last day before tomorrow

**Chapter 1 – Last day before tomorrow,**

So… where was I… Oh, yes!

 _ **-§-**_

"I promise"

"Good" Replied Grimm. "Out of all the pokemon down here, you deserve freedom the most."

He started to get up slowly, but the pain in his chest was too much to bear. He let out a loud hiss and fell back down. " _Yeah… definitely my ribs… damn it!_ " It's not like he hasn't been beaten before. Quite the opposite really. But this was definitely not a good first sign.

Before he could even start to think of a solution, he felt Cinders arms pushing at his chest. Her touch was gentle, but firm. Slowly rubbing the muscles, she started to hum to herself. She did this quite often. Every time she got the chance really. She liked the feeling of Grimm melting under her touch.

Grimm felt his body relaxing. The pain was still there, but he tried to concentrate on Cinder. Of all the things that happened to him in the last ten years she was clearly the best. Such a beautiful and innocent creature, down there with all these monsters and beasts. She was truly a breath of fresh air. And he'll be dammed if he let her rot in there, while others enjoy the sunlight on the surface. " _I will get you out of this hell… even if it's the last thing I do_ "

She started to rub lower. She knew his body better than he did. Every muscle. His strong arms and well build chest. His glowing red eyes… Deep voice… He always spoke so softly to her. His gentle touch…

"Ow!"

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry! I wasn't paying attention…"

"Then what were you thinking about?"

Her entire face became red. "N- Nothing! I… I was just… I mean…" She took a deep breath to calm down. She hesitated for only a moment before returning to her work. "Please turn around, and lay on your front."

"Okay. Could you help turn? Just… Ow! Careful!"

She helped him lay down and started to massage his back. The next couple of minutes passed in silence. He lied on the bed with her massaging his back. After she was done, Grimm carefully rose from the bed.

"You know" He said as he stretched. "Over the years you become quite skillful at this. Once you get out, you could work at a massage salon."

She looked away again. He already regained his cheerful mood. She didn't want to change that… but…

"You know we'll never get out… not in one peace… not…"

She started to remember what she has seen in the arena. The brutal fights, disabled bodies, lifeless corpses on the floor… blood…

She started to cry again. Not like before, no. She wasn't hurt, by his words, but what was behind them. Hope. She never knew hope. She was born down there, in the darkness. Never knew freedom, or sunshine. That's what Grimm was to her. And she still couldn't believe him. Ever since her mother gave birth to her in one of these dark cells… she never knew hope.

She had never killed. She wasn't a fighter. She was a servant. Her job was to clean the arena, and keep the fighters warm at night. Those were the only things she knew how to do. The only reason she was kept alive and mostly unharmed.

Grimm didn't waist a second. He warped his arms around the crying female and held her close to his furry chest. "There you go… Just let it out." This was also something they did quite frequently. Whenever this happened, he just held Cinder close, until she was done letting out her stress and depression.

Once she calmed down a little, he looked deeply into her green eyes, whit a big toothy smile in his face, like there was nothing wrong with the world. "Remember the promise I made to you, when you were just a braixen?"

She remembered. That promise was the only thing that kept her sane down there… the only ray of sunlight.

" _I will get you out of this hell… even if it's the last thing I do… and when we get out… I'll take you to the forest I grew up in… and we'll watch the sunset together._ "

 _ **-§-**_

She woke at tree loud banging on her cells metal door.

"Cinder! Get up!" Called a rough voice from the other side of the door.

She did as she was told as the door slowly started to open, revealing two armed guards. She didn't understand why they were bothering her. She didn't have to clean the arena for a few days if she remembered correctly, so what could they possibly want from her?

The answer shortly came. "You're being transferred to another cell. Step out!"

She did as she was told. She stepped out. One guard held the door, while the other pointed his gun at her and motioned to start walking down the hallway.

She started walking. She wanted to ask them why would she be transferred, but knew they wouldn't understand her, and even if they could, they would just beat her for speaking anyway. So she looked at the guards with a questioning look and hoped for the best.

It only earned her a smack. "Eyes front!"

So they walked is silence. Cinder in the middle, with the two guards behind her. They reached the staircase and the guards motioned her to go down. They went down… lower… and lower. She started to think, she may never come up from there.

After a few minutes, they reached the bottom. It was dirty. The lights were so old, half of them were out and the other half was blacking out once in a while. A guard hit her back with his gun to go faster, so she quickened her steppes. The floor felt even dirtier as she felt her paws touch the ground.

Finally the guards ordered her to stop in front of a giant metal door. She felt a chill ran down her spine at the sight. " _What kind of monster are they keeping down here?_ " But it was her next thought that terrified her the most. " _And why did they brought_ _ **me**_ _down here?_ " That made her really scared. " _They're going to put me in there to die… to be eaten… to…_ " Three loud knocks snapped her out of her thoughts. What surprised her is that even the guards looked scared now.

One of them opened the door, the same way they did with hers, while the other pointed his gun in the gap.

The one holding the door pointed his gun at her. "Get in there"

At first she didn't move. Even they were scared of what was in there and she didn't have any weapon or armor to protect her. But he was having none of it.

"NOW!" He shouted.

She stepped closer. She moved slowly, not to raise attention to herself, but when she was close enough, he grabbed her arm and tossed her in the cell, closing the door behind her.

She yelped as her face hit the dirty floor. She got up as fast as she could and ran for the door, but it was already closed. As she started to push and bang on it, she heard the gears turning as they looked her in.

"NO! Let me out! Don't leave me here! Please!" She shouted, but it was no use. The only source light was the hallway lights shining through the small gap under the door. She couldn't see a thing! She just sat there in the dirt, as she heard the footsteps slowly fading.

They left her…

"Are you done?" A deep, calm voice asked.

She turned around and pushed her back to the door, but didn't replied. She was too scared to speak.

"I'm surprised they send someone like you down here." The voice spoke again. "You're just a pup. Barely old enough to be considered a female let alone a mate."

Before she could stop herself, she shouted back in anger. "HEY! I may not be much, but I'm no pup! In a few years I will evolve to a delphox and then I'll kick your ass!"

Then she realized… Did she just said that? True, she hated when others talked down to her, but now was the wrong time to… " _OH I'M SO DEAD…_ " But what's done is done and if she was about to face death, she would face it head on, not cowering in a corner. She clenched her paws tightly, nails digging into her palms. She was ready for… laughter?

The sound filled the cell and even the hallway. He, whoever he was… was laughing. It took him a while to calm down, but now he certainly was in a good mood.

"Very good! You still have some fire left in you!"

Now she was very confused. He was happy? All the others told her it was bad to stand up to herself, because it'll get her in trouble. And did he say MATE!? The thought made a blush appear on her face. She stepped back to the door. Sex was something she'd only do with a male, who she loved and cared for and only after she reached her second evolution.

"Oh, relax… I won't hurt you" He said in a not at all sensual way. That made her calm down a little. " _At least he's not planning on raping me… so that's a start._ " She knew he could be lying, but something told her, she could trust him. His voice was calm and caring and not at all hostile. That was certainly a rarity down there.

Finally she gathered enough courage to speak up.

"Who are you?"

He didn't replied, but started to walk towards her. She could hear his steppes, but couldn't see him. She started to panic.

"Wait! Don't come near me!" She shouted, but he didn't listen. He just continued walking, until there were only a few inches between them. He was terribly close… but she could see him now.

"You're…"

"A zoroark… Yes." He finished for her.

They stood there in silence. He looked menacing. Red mane, red claws, glowing red eyes… and a metal collar around his neck. He could kill her in an instant. It won't even require an effort. But his voice… his voice was so lovely. If she could just close her eyes and listen to that voice, she'd feel safe… but she couldn't. She kept looking in his eyes and her whole body started to shake. She felt like she's going to faint.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked.

There was no denying it and she knew lying to him would be a bad idea so she decided to answer truthfully.

"Yes… I am." She answered, barely louder than a whisper. She could see the hurt in his eyes after her answer. His ears lowered and he looked away.

"I… understand…" He said as he turned around and walked back into the darkness.

She understood it now. He was used to being treated like a monster, but he wasn't one. He was a living, thinking being just like her. Trapped in this miserable place, like everyone else. He was just as much a victim as her.

"Wait!" She shouted and grabbed his arm before he could disappear from her eyes. Again she could not believe what she had just done. Her body was still shaking from the fear, but she had to fix her mistake.

He stopped. He didn't turn or move, just stood there, waiting for whatever she wanted to say to him.

"I…" She started, her voice shaking. "I'm sorry… I didn't want to hurt you, I was just really scared and I didn't want to lie to you, because I was scared if you'd hurt me and-"

As she spoke the zoroark slowly turned around and carefully placed a claw at her lips, silencing her. He smiled warmly at her. "I accept your apology." He said softly.

She blushed again. He could be so warm hearted for a creature so terrifying. Taking a closer look, he was quite handsome too… for a zoroark.

She pulled away his claw with her right paw and shook it.

"My name's Cinder. Nice to meet you."

He laughed again, this time much more quietly and replied. "Nice to meet you Cinder." His gin grew, showing of all his white, razor sharp teeth. "They call me Grimm."

 _ **-§-**_

That's how we met. It was awkward, it was unusual, but none of us had much social skills, given we grew up in captivity. It didn't take much time, until we became close friends. We had a lot in common after all.

After I explained, that she was supposed to be a "present" from my new master, to insure my obedience, we decided to play along and acted as if we were mates. We weren't. Even if we did enjoy each other's company, we never went that far. Even if I did find her beautiful, strong willed and pure at heart… I wasn't about to start a relationship with someone, who had no choice in the matter. Maybe once we get out she'll find someone who makes her happy. Someone better than me. That's all I wanted.

Years passed and we were still together. As long as I was the champion, she would be mine and I wasn't about to lose her. Finally I had another reason to win, other than to survive… To keep her safe. I also made her a promise…

I would get her out… and show her the sunset.

Now back to where we left off…

 _ **-§-**_

She finally fell asleep. Grimm held her for a few more minutes, just to make sure, than picked her up, carried her to the bed and carefully placed her down. She managed to tire herself out quite well, so she won't be up for at least half an hour.

He walked back to the center of the cell and started to stretch again. He needed to be ready for the fight. Thanks to Cinders massage, the pain in his chest lessened, but he had to be sure it won't come back after he makes a more advanced attack.

" _So far so good_ " He thought. He would have to avoid being hit in the chest or he'll be done for, but otherwise he could move well enough. A broken limb would've been worse, but the audience would see that. " _Clever bastard_ "

"GRIMM!" Said a loud booming voice, from the other side of the door. The voice was very similar to a ship's horn, which is no surprise, considering the creature it belonged to.

"Armor!" Grimm replied in a hushed tone. "Shut up, she's sleeping!"

"OH…" He continued in an equally loud voice. "THAN I MUST APOLOGISE FOR MY-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Grimm shouted back.

There were a few minutes of silence between the two before Armor replied.

"I do not like the tone of your voice young fox. Back in my days, we had much more respect for our elders, even if I myself was-"

Grimm only rolled his eyes. " _Here we go again_ " He thought, as Armor continued his monologue. " _At least he's a bit quieter_ "

Since he had a bit of time before he finishes his speech, as he wasn't about to listen to it, he went back to the bed to check on Cinder. " _She's still sleeping…_ " He thought. " _Thank Arceus for that. She must be really tired._ "

"GRIMM!" Armor boomed again. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO WHAT I'M SAYING?"

He rolled his eyes again, than went back to the door and replied.

"Of course Armor and I apologies for my rudeness, but I was concerned your loud voice would wake Cinder from her sleep."

This usually worked. Grimm hated loud noises, and Armor was like a walking boom box. Not that it was his fault. He was an aggron. Having a giant body covered in metal armor can do that to you. He could still try to speak softer, but Grimm wasn't about to start an argument. All that would do is give him hours' worth of lecture of how he shouldn't tell his elders what to do, or how to do it, since they were doing it for far longer than he has… and he would still use his loud voice…

Just the thought made Grimm lower his ears.

"OH…" He said, surprised that he had listened. Which he didn't. "WERY GOOD MY YOUNG FREND, THEN I MUST TELL YOU THAT YOUR FIGHT WILL START IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES, SO YOU BETTER START PREPEARING!"

"What do you think I was doing when you arrived and started shouting at my door?" Grimm asked, clearly annoyed.

"WELL, WHEN I WAS AT YOUR AGE, ALONE WITH A BEAUTIFULL FEMALE I-"

"Oh, no! We're not going there!" Grimm interrupted, his face burning. " _You old prevent…_ " He thought. " _Thank Arceus he can't see my face through the door…_ "

Armor chuckled outside. "I WAS ONLY KIDDING… ALLTHOUGH YOU CAN'T BLAME AN OLD LIZARD FOR BELIVE IN YOUNG LOVE"

"We're… You know it's not like that!" Grimm replied, more embarrassed by the minute.

"WELL, MAYBE YOU CAN'T SEE THAT FROM YOUR POSITION, BUT FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, IT IS WEARY CLEAR."

"If that was one of your short jokes, I'll knock down this door and beat you with it…"

"I WAS VERY SERIOUS THIS TIME. SHE LIKES YOU."

"She deserves someone better…" He replied as he looked down.

"SHE DOESN'T WANT SOMEONE BETTER. SHE WANTS YOU."

Grimm just sighed at this. Armor would always bring this up. Grimm wanted to set Cinder free… to find a mate she can settle down whit… to raise a family of her own… to live a good life, but Armor insisted she would want to stay by his side. But what kind of life would she have if she'd stayed with him? What kind of life would he have?

"We'll talk about this when we get out." Grimm said.

"OH… IS IT TIME THAN?"

"It is. You know the plan. Just be ready for my signal! After the fight, we'll all be free."

 _ **-§-**_

"Are you certain he can do it?" An elder man in ranger uniform asked a younger, who was still changing into his civilian clothes. "All the major crime families will be there and half of them certainly won't surrender without a fight. You'll be surrounded with bloodthirsty pokemon, who has no problem of using mortal attacks."

"I trust my partner, he can handle it." The young man replied as he finished putting his shirt on. He then grabbed a pokeball and put it on his belt. "There will be twenty rangers in the building and another twenty surrounding the area. We'll be just fine."

"Your partner is certainly one of a kind, but you would do well not to underestimate his opponent. That zoroark is quite the legend himself."

"Maybe against beaten or starved pokemon, but he won't stand a chance against us!" Replied the young ranger, clearly annoyed with the old man.

The older ranger just sighed and hoped the boys' overconfident attitude won't cost them their life. He then continued.

"Once you enter Litwick Mansion, you'll have to use your pass card to get to the lower levels, where the fights are held. The card is old, but it should work. The owner of the arena, Matthew Litwick should be in his office. You'd have to beat the zoroark to meet with him and complete the buy. That will be your chance to arrest him. Once you do that, all hell will break loose, so you'll have to find a way to signal the others BEFORE you take action. The others will cover you as you make your way out with Litwick. It is vital, that he makes it out alive. If we can get him to talk, we could jail all the crime families in Unova."

The boy was leaning on his locker, waiting to the old man to finish.

"And for the love of god John, make it out alive. My daughter would kill me if she'd know I'm sending you in such a dangerous place."

"Nice to know you care gramps." John replied smiling.

"You have everything you need?"

"Disguise, ID, Pass card, Handcuffs, devilish good looks…"

"Don't forget your partner."

"Never!" John said smiling down at his pokeball. "I've got all I need. Don't worry gramps… they won't know what hit'em."

"I sure hope so." He replied, before giving the boy a hug. "Stay safe grandson."

John returned the hug. "I'll be fine gramps. Don't worry about a thing!"

After the hug ended, John walked out of the building and started heading for his destination. He took the pokeball off his belt and held it in his arm.

"Well buddy… tomorrow will be a day we'll never forget."


	3. Chapter 2 - Let the fight begun

**Chapter 2 - Let the fight begun,**

And here we are at last! The glorious combat! Blood, gore and all that stuff… well, for most fighters anyways. To me? To me, every fight is a hunt. My mother used to say "If you're hunting, you must keep your prey on the run constantly. Never corner it, because if it has nowhere else to run, it will fight… and the roles could change.

In The PIT, every fight was a hunt. And every time I fought… I had to prove, that I was the hunter.

 _ **-§-**_

The sun was already setting, as John made his way to Litwick mansion. The rangers were in position around the area and among the guests. The mansion looked beautiful. The garden was well kept, the walls were clean and the radiating lamps gave off enough light to make it all visible, even in the dark. That and the hundreds of cars parking all around it. Everyone could see there was a big event planned tonight. Too bad there was an illegal fighting club underneath the building.

John rang the doorbell and only a few seconds later, a butler let him in the door.

"Welcome to Litwick Mansion! How may I help you sir?"

John showed him his fake ID and pass card. "I'm here for tonight's special event."

The butler took a moment to read them and walked him to the elevator.

"Very good sir! Have a pleasant stay." The butler said, as he turned around and went back to whatever he was doing before.

John only nodded to him. He stepped into the elevator and started heading down.

"Yeah… pleasant stay. Good luck whit that…"

Down at The PIT, he found himself in a completely new world. As he stepped out of the lift, all he could see was cheering people, drinking people, or people who were counting their money before betting. The fighting already started. Down at the arena he could see a machoke and a nidoking fighting. The machoke was clearly at a disadvantage, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone. That was the show they wanted. " _Those heartless bastards!_ "

He asked one of the grunts for direction, which he provided without any hesitation, than he made his way to the caging area below the arena. On his way he could hear two guys talking.

"Did you bet yet?"

"What? Of course not! I'm not made of money man!"

"I know where you're coming from, but listen here! In the final match, I always put my money on Grimm! The guy never loses!"

"Yea, I've heard the stories, but come on! The guy must be cheating somehow! No way, he has been a champion for that long!"

"I'm telling you man, it's true! The guy's ruthless! No hesitation, no mercy! You look away for a moment and BAM! It's over! Easy money!"

"Okay, I'm ganna trust you on this one, but the next round's on you!"

That made him a bit uneasy about his partners upcoming fight, but he wasn't about to trust in the word of two drunk grunts.

He continued on his way, until he found the person he's been looking for. The man wore blue chemical protection suits, with small litwick symbols on its shoulders and large black boots. He had dark hair, with a bit of gray in it, a mustache, and wore a pair of glasses. He was the inside man John had to meet.

"Hey, Bob! How's life treating you?" John asked in a happy tone.

"…" To which Bob didn't say anything. Yeah, Bob was that kind of guy. He could take care of everything, but couldn't do small talk to save his life… or rather, he wouldn't.

"I understand. Let's get to business!" John spoke again after he realized, he won't be getting an answer.

Bob walked him thru the caging area and gave him the briefing.

"You'll have to release your Pokemon here." He said as he pointed to one of the many cages. "When his fight starts, he'll be carried to the arena with his opponents."

That last bit, got John's attention.

"Wait, opponents? As in… more than one?"

"Yes." Bob continued in an equally monotonous tone. "I'm afraid there's been a last minute modification in the program. Someone else also challenged Grimm, in the last minute. The last fight will be a three men, free-for-all."

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. " _This is really bad._ " He thought. " _I was sure, Blade can defeat a zoroark, no matter how powerful, but this is different. Things are starting to get out of hand._ "

"There's no going back now, I take it?"

"I'm afraid not." Bob slowly shook his head. "We could still pull off the raid, but without that victory, we have no chance of catching Litwick. He'll be the first to escape."

Bob than turned to him and looked him directly in the eye. "Can you do it? This is your last chance to call it quits."

John thought for a minute. Could he really risk his partners' life like this? Once he was down at the arena, he couldn't do anything to help him out. Did he trust him to be okay?

"He can do it!" He finally said. "I know he can. I trust him."

He then released hid Pokemon into the cage.

"Listen buddy! There've been some complications, but I know you can do it. Here's the plan…"

 _ **-§-**_

"So it's going to be a free-for-all, huh?" Grimm asked as he was escorted thru the hallways to the arena. Instead of two, he had four fully armed guards with him, as well as Armor, who followed not far behind, giving him information about the upcoming battle.

"IT SEEMS THE BOSS GOT NEWS OF ANOTHER POKEMON WHO WOULD LIKE TO BATTLE YOU AND BROUGHT HIM HERE." Armor replied. He was a little concerned about the battle. The odds were never in his favor and they just got worse by adding another opponent he must defeat.

Grimm looked awfully relaxed, which concerned Armor even more. If he gets overconfident and dies, they'll all be stuck here… with someone worse than Grimm at the top of the food chain.

"Oh, this will be interesting!" Grimm said, grinning madly, which caused a bit of unease among the guards. "If they decide to team up against me, this could even be a worthy challenge…"

"GRIMM, YOU SHOULD REALLY TAKE THIS MORE SERIOUSLY!"

"Or they'll just kill each other and I'll bore to death…"

"GRIMM!"

"WHAT?"

Armor just signed in response and shook his head. Besides annoying the guards and chatting with him or Cinder, fighting was Grimm's only source of fun. Although he didn't understand Grimm's morals or motivations, he didn't argue with him. This was his decision and he stood by it even against his many masters. Armor could respect that.

As they reached the entrance to the arena, all the guards stopped, letting Armor forward to follow Grimm to the massive door and giving him his weapon, he was carrying all this time. The weapon was a scythe. It was as tall as Grimm, with a giant blade. It wasn't anything fancy. No carvings, no symbols, or paint, just a big iron scythe. It was Armor's job to take care of it as well as and all the equipment in The PIT.

Grimm took the scythe from Armor and looked it over. " _No cracks_ " The blade looked good. Armor did his job well. He then looked at his reflection in the blade. " _How many lives met their end by this blade_?" He lost count a long time ago. To him, they didn't matter. He made his choice. He would survive.

Grimm was snapped out of his thoughts by Armor, who placed one of his giant hands on his shoulder. He could swear he heard his spine cracking.

"Arceus, you are heavy!"

"THAT IS NOT A NICE THING TO SAY YOUNG FOX, ESPECIALLY TO YOUR ELDERS!" Armor replied.

"Get off me!" Grimm shouted back. He could feel his legs giving up under the weight.

Finally Armor released him and let out a deep giggle. He was clearly amused by the fox's behavior, even if he rarely spoke to him with the respect the aggron deserved.

"HAVE FUN YOU LITTLE BRAT! I HOPE YOU GET OUT OF THERE ALIVE!"

Grimm smiled back at him. "You too, you old bastard!"

"WHY, SUCH A FOUL MOUTH!"

Then for a moment, Grimm's expression changed. He looked concerned… sad even.

"Take care of Cinder will you?"

Any other time Armor would argue, that it is Grimm who should take care of her, but this time, he only nodded and quietly replied.

"I will…"

And without another word, the two parted ways. Armor went back where they came from and Grimm stepped thru the giant door that led to the arena.

"Let's get the party started!" He said to himself with an enormous grin on his face.

 _ **-§-**_

Cinder watched as the many guests set down on their seats. The arena was massive in scale, two or three times as big as a normal pokemon gym. It looked a lot like a colosseum, only underground. The fighting area and the audience were separated by a grid, which was connected to one of the generators, which powered the whole arena and the mansion above it. If someone tried to escape, they would be shocked or even killed by the electricity that ran thru the grid. Also the fighting area was two floors below the seats and not many were able to climb so far up. They were often killed by their opponents before they could reach it.

Her place was just above the grid, but still half a floor below the audience. This was the place where the servants could watch the fights. It also served two purposes. It would keep them entertained, but also remind them, that should they fall behind in their work, they could easily find themselves down there in the next match.

"And now, for tonight's main event!" The announcer started. "The undefeated champion of The PIT! The Smiling Fox! GRIMM!"

The crowd roared and cheered at the mention of Grimm. The door opened and the zoroark stepped out, accompanied by his trusty scythe. Cinder just shook her head at the mention of his name. 'The Smiling Fox' was Grimm's stage name. Most of the people knew him as just that. But she knew the real Grimm… or she thought she knew. Sometimes it was hard to tell. He was so illusive. He fooled the guards; he killed or outsmarted all his previous owners and even managed to escape from 'The PIT' three times. If it wasn't for that collar, they could never catch him.

Sometimes the thought made it to her head that he was just playing her, like all the others. She always dismissed the thought, but a small bit of doubt always remained. What if she didn't know him as much as she thought? She could only hope. If they manage to get out, she could see Grimm without all the lies and deception. If he was indeed the fox she fell for.

 _ **-§-**_

John sat with Bob next to him. He could see all the undercover agents sitting around the more important guests. They were all ready for action, ready to act in a moment's notice. But he couldn't care less right now. Now he watched the zoroark as he made his way to the center of the arena. He took a swing of his scythe and smiled madly at the people around him. This was his partner's opponent. And he couldn't do anything to help him. They couldn't fight together like they did all the time. This wasn't a Pokemon battle, this was a death match. And he could do nothing to help his friend.

"Announcing his opponent, in his first death match. The challenger, BLADE!"

The crowd roared again. They were curious to who could this mysterious Pokemon be. They didn't have to wait long as he stepped out of the same door Grimm came out before.

 _ **-§-**_

I'll never forget when I saw Blade for the first time. Although at the time I didn't think much of him. He was a scyther. A shiny scyther, to be specific.

At first I thought it was a joke. You know, since I use a scythe and he's… well… You get it.

At first sight he looked nothing special. No battle scares, no missing wings, no specially modified arm-blades. He didn't even look all that threatening. I mean, there were the arm-blades, but they won't be much of a threat, as he most likely didn't possess the speed, or skill to land a hit on me. It seemed, I won't be having fun after all, but then I noticed something…

He carried himself differently, than all the other pokemon I've seen up until that point. There was pride in his steppes, but the way he looked at the crowd around us showed disgust. His chitin armor was healthy and well kept. Someone was taking good care of him, but then why would he be down there? The look in his eyes showed, that he had seen battle, but he had no scares. He didn't battle to survive, but to get stronger. I could also tell he had never taken a life.

We were around the same age, considered adults, but hadn't reached our prime yet. From what I've seen, he was a trained, honorable warrior. I couldn't tell still why he was here, but it seemed this will be an interesting battle after all. I couldn't help, but smile as wildly as I could.

 _ **-§-**_

Blade had to admit, he was a little scared of the fox. He showed no signs of aggression; his stance was not defensive… He just stood there smiling at him. He was a complete unknown.

He started walking towards him as he heard the speaker again.

"But ladies and gentleman, we are not done jet! For tonight's special event, we have a THIRD fighter! Strait from Hoenn, the surprise challenger! EX, THE DESTROYER!"

The crowd roared three or four times louder than before. Ex was a well-known fighter, so even Grimm knew something about him. He was a brute and a sadist, so fighting for his master was really no problem for him. As long as he'd enjoy himself, he'd do anything he was told to do. The only problem Litwick could have with him was his temper and that he was a haxorus and a bad tempered haxorus is not a good thing to have. Especially Ex. That's probably the reason why he only now invited him.

Both Grimm and Blade could feel the floor quake as the haxorus entered the arena. Ex was large, even for a haxorus. His claws and tusks were freshly sharpened and ready to put to work. Things weren't looking up.

Blade stepped next to Grimm, both facing Ex.

"Listen!" Blade whispered. "I'm whit the rangers. We're here to capture Litwick and get you out, but you'll have to trust me."

In response, Grimm stared at him for a couple of seconds, like he just told him he was his father, than busted out laughing. He laughed so hard he needed to support himself with his scythe just to stay on his feet.

Surprised by the foxes reaction, Blade simply waited until the zoroark stopped laughing.

"Y- You know…" Grimm started, still giggling every now and then. "You know how much I've heard stuff like that before a fight?"

Blade's gaze hardened and he took a step closer to Grimm. He tried to be civil, but the fox made it very hard. He was here to do his job and save lives, while he was just laughing and taking this whole situation like a joke. He was having none of that.

"Now listen here-"

But Grimm cut him off, his eyes hard and focused on his. The smiley, laughy fox was gone in an instant and replaced by a deadly predator.

"NO, you listen here!" He spoke softly and quietly, but his tone was very serious. He stepped closet to Blade so that their noses were inches away from each other. "When the match starts, we will be enemies. I don't care if you're Arceus himself in disguise, if it means my survival, I WILL CUT YOU DOWN!"

He then looked back to Ex and continued. "If you manage to survive long enough, I might just believe you, but I'm not about to place my fate, or my friend's in the hands of a stranger."

Blade took a step back, ready to counter any attack he might throw at him.

"And remember" Grimm continued, standing ready himself. "I will be trying to kill you so don't hold back… because none of us will."

He bumped the blade of his scythe to one of Blade's arm-blades before walking away from him.

"Good luck, have fun!"

All three pokemon got some distance between themselves and waited for the match to start. Blade was left speechless by the Grimm's words. He felt confused. He thought he knew the fox from all the stories they told him at the base, but this was completely different. He wasn't happy to kill others, by the look in his eyes, but he would do it without hesitation. What motivation could he have to do that? And if it's true, why warn him, that he wouldn't be holding back? Blade snapped himself out of these thoughts. He had a job to do. He had to concentrate. He had to win.

"ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THE BATTLE TO START?" The announcer shouted. It sounded a lot like Armor in Grimm's opinion. Then again Armor never shouted. He was just that loud to begin with.

Then the countdown began.

And the crowd counted with him.

"THREE! TWO! ONE! FIGHT!"

Out of his two opponents, Ex was clearly more dangerous and difficult to deal with, so Grimm decided to start with Blade. The scyther could complicate things. Against a skilled opponent like Ex, he needed to concentrate solely on him and couldn't afford to keep an eye out constantly for Blade. He didn't waste a moment.

Blade couldn't even blink as the zoroark suddenly appeared before him, scythe in hand and ready to strike. He used both his arm-blades to block, but before they made contact the zoroark disappeared. Blade hesitated only for a second, as he recognized the technique Grimm was using. " _Foul Play_ " He spun around just in time to block the scythe before it could slice off his head.

Grimm laughed again as they locked blades. "Excellent reflexes! Or have you seen this too many times to be cut off guard?"

Both of them tried to push back the other, but none of them moved. "I told you, I'm a ranger! Too many of you, dark types tried to cause trouble when I was on duty. I've seen all your moves. There's no way, you could catch me off guard!" Blade replied. " _He's good…_ " He thought. True, he's seen this move countless times, but never was it this fast, precise, or ruthless. " _He's not messing around. If I haven't blocked then and there, I'd be dead on the floor. I need to be more focused._ "

Grimm continued to smile and laugh. "I accept your challenge! You've proven to be true to your word so far, but don't get cocky! Now DUCK!"

"What?"

In the moment of confusion, Blade failed to notice a powerful dragon tail headed his way. He was sent flying into one of the walls of the arena. The wall cracked behind his back and he fell on the floor unconscious.

"It's his first time all right…" Grimm said to no one in particular, as he got up from the ground. "Not even a minute since we started and he's already passed out."

Grimm stood there, smiling at his own joke, still looking at Blade, not acknowledging the haxorus standing behind him the slightest. " _Well… he's still not dead, but it's good enough. I can finally focus on Ex._ " He thought.

Ex was furious. First they ignore him, then the bug manages to survive his attack and the fox even dodged it. And he still wasn't looking at him! " _That arrogant fool!_ " He thought. " _I'll kill him first, then squash the bug!_ " He swung his head Grimm's way to cut him in two with his sharp trucks.

Grimm saw the attack coming and used the blade of his scythe to block it. He could've easily dodged it, but he needed to check if his weapon could withstand Ex's attacks. As the blades made contact, Grimm started to slide back. He had enough strength to block and his scythe seems to be holding out alright, but he couldn't find good enough footing to stand his ground. " _This could be a problem._ " He thought, as he was sent flying too. In the air he managed to regain his balance and landed on his feet. " _This will be a problem._ "

Grimm's fighting stile relied on his speed and physical strength, since he couldn't use illusions or special attacks. Annoying the opponent was always a good plan too, but he needed to focus on the battle and didn't have time to think on jokes. Getting up close would be suicide. If Ex could get a hold of him, he'd tear him apart. Long range was out of the question, since the collar would shock him if he used special attack… not that he knew any to begin with. That only leaved one option.

" _I have to use 'Foul Play' to surprise him and attack from an unpredictable angle, then get back as fast as I can._ " He thought. It was awfully risky. Ex only needed one lucky shot, but he'd have to be lucky all the time. It would take some time before his attack would cause any serious damage to Ex, because of his natural armor and the longer it took to take him down, the more chance Ex got to anticipate his moves.

Grimm took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. " _Then again…_ " He thought as he looked back at Ex with a huge smile on his face. " _This is when the fun begins!_ "

 _ **-§-**_

Cinder watched quietly from her place. All the other servants were shouting or cheering, but she remained quiet and kept praying for Grimm's safety. Deep down she knew it was foolish to pray for anything. She never believed in such things like; the power of belief, or spirits, or whatever. But it was the only thing she could do for Grimm and no matter how little it counted, it was the only thing she could do.

A loud booming voice snapped her out of her concentration. "IT SEEMS HE'S USING A RATHER RISKY STRATEGY DON'T YOU THINK?"

She turned around in an instant, her hands up, ready to defend herself from any… It was Armor. " _Oh thank Arceus…_ " She thought. She took a moment to get her heartrate under control, her right hand on her chest. She got scared quite easily. Not everyone was so nice to him like Armor and Grimm. Many other servants looked down on her for being Grimm's mate and some even tried to attack her, if there weren't any guards around. Usually it went down pretty fast and she only got a fey bruises.

"I'M TERRIBLY SORRY FOR SCARING YOU MY DEAR, BUT WHY AREN'T YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR MATE'S BATTLE?"

"I was praying Armor." She replied. Her voice was soft and gentle as always. She and Armor shared somewhat of a father-daughter relationship, since he would always look out for her if Grimm wasn't there. "But what are you doing here?" Armor was usually taking a nap when Grimm fought. According to him, there was no need for him to watch a battle that he already knew the outcome of. "You don't think Grimm could win?" She asked. She was a little more concerned now.

"NO, THAT'S NOT IT…" Replied Armor to Cinder's greatest relief. "I'M SIMPLY NEEDED FOR THE AFTERMATH."

Cinder usually got left out of Grimm's plans, but she could tell if something was going on. She'd always tell Grimm not to try anything stupid, but the zoroark would never listen. " _Males…_ "

"He's not trying to do something stupid is he?" She asked.

"NOT MORE STUPID THAN USUAL ANYWAYS… STILL HIS PLANS USUALLY WORK." Armor replied.

"Not for him they don't!" Cinder snapped back angrily. Every time Grimm tried something, dozens of pokemon would escape, but never him. And then he'd get beaten, shocked and tortured as punishment for helping the others escape. It wasn't worth it… Just the thought made Cinder to tear up. "Every time… every damn time, he fails to get out and only gets himself hurt!"

"WOULD YOU RATHER HE STOPPED?" Armor asked with a stoic expression on his face, not showing any emotion at all.

"Yes! If he'd just accept, there's no way out of here we could…" Cinder stopped herself before she could finish. They could what? They had no future down there, no hope, no freedom. If she ever wanted to have a future with Grimm, they needed to get out.

"BUT THAT WOULDN'T BE GRIMM, NOW WOULD IT?" Armor's words snapped out of her thoughts. She just looked up at him with teary eyes. "HE'D NEVER GIVE UP ON WHAT HE WANTED, EVEN AGAINST IMPOSSIBLE ODDS. HE'D KEEP ON TRYING UNTIL HE SUCCEEDS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO GRIMM IS!"

As he finished, Armor had a warming smile on his face. He motioned to Cinder to come closer and when she did, she was welcomed with a gentle hug. "AND I DON'T THINK YOU COULD LOVE HIM IF HE WAS ANY DIFFERENT."

He waited a few moments to let her calm down, then let her go.

"LET'S GET BACK TO WATCHING THE FIGHT, WHY DON'T WE? I HAVE TO BE READY FOR THE SIGNAL."

Cinder only nodded and went back to her spot. The others were not paying any attention to them; since they were so busy watching the fight between the zoroark and haxorus.

"Can I come with you?" Cinder asked, not taking her eyes off Grimm for a moment.

"WELL…" Armor began. "THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS FOR ME TO GO ALONE, BUT GRIMM DID ASK ME TO LOOK AFTER YOU SO, I SEE NO PROBLEM WITH IT. JUST MAKE SOUR YOU STAY OUT OF TROUBLE."

She gave Armor a thankful smile. "Thank you!"

 _ **-§-**_

Grimm was exhausted. He's been jumping around in the arena for the last ten minutes at least and it still doesn't seem to affect the haxorus and what's worse, he seemed to figure out his attack pattern. After every attack he made his opponent was just a little quicker to react. His chest hurt like hell, his joints were burning and he's been panting for air in the last two minutes. " _These fights weren't supposed to last this long._ " He thought. His longest fight, if he remembered correctly, was only eight minutes long and he nearly passed out at the end.

"Oh… Don't tell me you're done already." Ex said in a way-too-happy tone. It was clear; he was having the time of his life watching the fox fight his losing battle. "The fun has just begun! Now it's time I hear you scream!"

Ex launched himself at Grimm, with full speed. Grimm saw the attack coming but didn't have the strength to jump away, so he waited for him to get closer… and closer.

At the last possible moment Grimm rolled out of his way and used his scythe trip the haxorus, which caused him to charge head first into the wall.

"You'll have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid." Grimm replied. This was the perfect moment. Whit his head stuck in the wall Ex was vulnerable.

" _This is it!_ " Grimm wasted no time and charged at Ex. " _My previous attack weren't powerful enough to cause serious damage, but maybe with…_ " He used every bit of his strength to jump in the air, both hands on his scythe and ready to use it. This attack was his most powerful move even with only his claws, but with a weapon at hand, it was as deadly as it gets. The only drawback was that he could only attack with it in a straight line, so his enemy could easily see it coming… but not in this case.

A dark aura emerged around Grimm's scythe.

"Night Slash!"

Unfortunately, that was the exact same time; Ex managed to yank his head out the wall and used that momentum to slash at Grimm's way. The scythe made contact with Ex's tusk… and lost. Grimm's eyes widened as his weapon shattered to pieces and the tusk continued its way towards his face.

The crowd went completely silent as the zoroark hit the ground. Was he dead? I mean, this is only the third chapter… or second if you don't count the epilogue… and it wouldn't make much sense to kill off the protagonist this early in the story…

I'm sorry I got a bit carried away…

The silence only lasted a few seconds as Grimm started to get up. Everyone could see that he had trouble standing up, but what was even more noticeable, was the cut on his face. As Ex's attack went thru his scythe, it slashed him across the face, leaving a deep cut and getting his left eye in the process.

Grimm slowly and carefully touched the wound on his face. The cut was deep, but he could still feel his eye, so it wasn't as bad as it looked. It would sure leave a scar though.

As he took away his hand, he could see all the blood his fur has sucked in. He couldn't feel it hurting over his other pains, but the blood loss would make things more difficult. He looked back at Ex, who was preparing to charge his way again.

"What will you do now, that you don't have your fancy weapon?" Ex asked, with his eyes fixed on Grimm. " _I will not miss this time!_ " He thought. "I'LL CRUSH YOU!"

But before he could attempt to slash Grimm's head off a second time, his tusk was blocked by Blade. The scyther regained consciousness a few moments after Grimm's scythe shattered and came to stand against Ex.

"The hell are you doing?!" Grimm shouted at Blade to his biggest surprise.

"I'm saving you!" He shouted bask. It took no small effort to keep the haxorus at bay and he could already feel his feet slipping.

"Like hell you are!" Grimm shouted again and slowly started to walk towards them. "You're ruining my fun!"

As Blade looked back at Grimm's direction, he could not believe his eyes. Grimm stood up like he didn't suffer any injuries at all. His face was still bleeding and his left eye was closed, but he was walking their way, like he's been only playing with his opponents this whole time.

Ex eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight. "What the hell is this!?" He roared. "Have you been using illusions this whole time?"

"Illusions?" Grimm repeated. "I was couth before I could learn any illusions and even if I could, this stupid collar wouldn't let me."

"But let me tell you what I did learn…" He continued. "I learned how manipulate my opponent, how to ignore the pain and focus only on the battle and most importantly… I learned how to control the events that happen around me. So far all you've done was dance to my toon, ever since our battle started."

"Impossible!" Ex replied.

"Do you think so?" Grimm said with a giant smile on his face. "Then tell me; how else is it possible that I'm able to stand here, with all my injuries, if it wasn't me who arrange it to happen in the first place?"

In his rage, Ex knocked back Blade and charged at Grimm. Grimm didn't have time to dodge; as Ex's powerful tail sent him flying after Blade. They both hit the wall with such momentum that Grimm could hear his own ribs braking. But Ex wasn't done.

"Draco Meteor!"

Ex concentrated his energy in his mouth and held it for a few moments, before aiming and firing it at the two.

"RUN!" Grimm shouted as they took off and started running around in the arena. Halfway between Ex and his targets, the giant ball of flame exploded into multiple smaller projectiles that flew towards the two runners at high speed, leaving small craters as they crashed into the wall. As the attack ended, Ex gathered his energy again and continued firing.

"Can you keep up?" Blade asked as they ran.

"Why? You want to carry me?" Grimm replied. True, he had a bit of trouble keeping up, because of his injuries but he won't be talked down to by this 'so called' ranger.

"And what happened to that badass attitude of yours?" Blade continued. "Was that all just an act?"

"Of course it was!" Grimm replied angrily. This scyther was really pissing him off. "I'm a zoroark, not a legendary! And did you honestly believe I would get myself slashed in the face, just to get him where I want him? I was just pissing him off so I could get an opening, which you ruined by the way."

"You've got me there!" Blade shouted back. "Listen! I have a plan! Neither of us can defeat him alone, so we need to team up and take him down before he can get us!"

Now it was Grimm's time to be surprised. Did he really mean that? He couldn't possibly be that naïve to think he'd accept such an offer. They were still enemies even if they were both losing. Still…

"You know I'm just going to stab you in the back." Grimm replied. "I'm not about to lose to either one of you!"

"We'll have enough time for that after we beat him." Blade said. "I'll distract him. If you have the chance, take him out!"

"That'll never work. He won't go after you after I pissed him off. I'll distract him and you go for the kill!"

"I won't kill him!" Blade replied. "I told you! I'm a ranger!"

"Sure you are!"

As the barrage of flames ended, Grimm launched himself at Ex. Even with his current speed, he was under his nose in less than a second. At the sight of his attacker, Ex made a full turn to use his tail to crush the zoroark. To Ex's biggest surprise, Grimm didn't dodge. He caught the tail with both claws and held it with all his might.

"NOW!" Grimm shouted.

In his shocked state, Ex failed to see Blade's coming attack. Blade jumped into the air and with a clean slash, cut off Ex's right tusk. The haxorus roared in both pain and chock as the severed tusk hit the ground.

Grimm couldn't believe his eyes. Here he was, giving him an easy kill and he went for the tusk? He could've gone for the neck, or head, but he cut off a tusk?

Grimm used Ex's moment of confusion to get out under his tail and get to his belly. With a powerful punch he knocked out all the air from Ex's lungs. As Ex bend down to protect his belly, Grimm punched his neck to prevent him from breathing in. Out of air and unable to breath in, Ex collapsed on the ground, after Grimm walked out under him. This was the easiest way he knew to knock out someone and Ex's soft belly didn't offer him much protection from Grimm's punch. Too bad he couldn't use it earlier in the fight.

Grimm walked to where the tusk landed and picked it up. It was still sharp. Sharper than his claws in fact. " _This could be useful._ " He thought as he gave it a good swing. It was also the tusk that gave him his new scar destroyed his weapon and nearly took his left eye, so it was only fair…

Grimm looked up at Armor and gave him a quick nod, which he just as quickly returned before turning around and disappearing in the crowd taking Cinder with him. He gave Cinder a thankful smile before he walked back to Blade and Ex.

Ex was still on the ground, unconscious, while Blade kicked his neck so he wouldn't suffocate. Ex was his enemy, as was he and he risked his life to save him and even saved Ex just now. But why? Could he really be a ranger? " _It doesn't matter…_ " Grimm thought.

"Well… that wasn't too bad." Grimm said as he approached the two. "But there's still one thing we need to take care of…"

Blade didn't turned around, only held out his right arm, to prevent Grimm from getting to Ex.

"I won't let you kill him!" Blade spoke, determination in his voice.

"That's very noble of you…" Grimm said with a giant smile. He then placed his right hand on top of Blade's and used the tusk in his left to cut Blade's arm clean off from his shoulder.

"But I wasn't talking about him…"


	4. Chapter 3 - Escape

**Chapter 3 - Escape,**

Sometimes it's hard to make decisions. Whatever you're going to choose, there will be consequences and you'll have to live with the knowledge of what you've chosen for the rest of your life. No matter how small or insignificant, you can never take back a decision you've made. All you can do is own up to it… and move forward.

 _ **-§-**_

Blade had a horrified expression on his face. The zoroark he just risked his life to save had cut off his right arm and was holding it in is hand right now like a sword.

"Don't act so surprised!" Grimm began. "I told you, I would stab you in the back. Your arm was just an easier target."

"Why the hell did you do that!?" Blade shouted back. He was trying to cover the wound with his left arm-blade, but he could only do so much. It started sinking in now. He was about to die.

"I came here to HELP you!" He shouted again. "To get you out! To save you!"

"No you didn't!" Grimm replied. His voice was cold and Blade could see regret, sadness and even disgust in his eye. He wasn't smiling anymore. He was serious.

"You've come here for Litwick, NOT FOR US!" Grimm shouted. His whole body was tens and shaking slightly. He was angry. He felt betrayed. "For a moment I honestly believed you've come to get us out, but you haven't! After I realized you were a ranger I started to look for others and I found them! They could help us! They have the numbers to overthrow the guards and get us out, but they're just sitting there! Because they are not here for us! And neither are you!"

Grimm punched Blade in the face with his right hand, which he's also been holding his severed arm with, which coursed the scyther to fall to the ground. Blade couldn't reply as Grimm stepped on his chest and pushed down with his full weight.

"I already have a plan to get out." Grimm whispered to Blade. "And I don't need your help to get the others out either. At this point you're either dead weight or an obstacle in my plan." Grimm raised his new-found weapon and heled it high and ready to strike. "Whichever it is, it doesn't matter." Grimm looked Blade right in the eye. "Either way, I'm going to kill you!"

Before the finishing blow could be delivered, Blade snapped out of his shock and kicked Grimm in the face, causing the zoroark to stumble back and release him. Blade didn't waste a moment and quickly got on his feet, before Grimm could attack him again.

"I was hoping, you'd still have some fight left in you!" Grimm said after he spit a bit of blood from his mouth. "You might be able to make this fun after all!"

"You're mad!" Blade replied. "If you ever want to get out of this place, I'm the best chance you have!"

Grimm started to laugh. He walked in a circle around Blade, never taking his eye off his opponent. "I spent more than half of my life in places like this! Of course I'm mad!" He shouted at Blade.

" _This is it!_ " Grimm thought. He held Ex's tusk in his left hand and Blade's arm-blade in his right. _"I'll attack using both, targeting his heart and neck at the same time. With only one arm, he'll only be able to block one. The other will finish him. Yeah… that'll work…_ "

However before Grimm could move Blade pointed his remaining blade-arm at him and spoke up.

 _ **-§-**_

Blade had many emotions and many thoughts racing in his head. " _Is the zoroark right? Had we just came here to catch a criminal?"_ It certainly seemed that way, from Grimm's point of view, but was he right? Blade become a ranger to help others. That was the whole point, but there he was in front of a Pokemon who needed his help and all the Rangers were concerned about was caching Litwick. Caching him would prevent others from getting hurt by him, but what about the ones that already have been hurt. Was it only a matter of numbers? Was it more important to protect those who could be hurt, or help those who were already have been?

He thought about John. His partner and best friend. How he'd do anything to protect him and wouldn't waste a moment to help him if he'd get hurt. " _Maybe Grimm has someone like that too…_ "

He noticed it when they fought. It was clear, he enjoyed the battle, but he didn't fight for the sake of fighting like many other wild Pokemon he had fought before. Pokemon like those didn't care if they died in battle, as long as they had fun fighting, but Grimm was careful to avoid any mortal injuries he could suffer. Sure he get beat up, but at worst case; his injuries would leave a scar.

He didn't fight to cause pain to others either. The stories he heard from Pokemon who managed to escape, made it clear. He finished his opponents quickly and wouldn't drag out the match just so he could torture his opponent, like so many other would. Like the now unconscious Ex, for example.

After Blade talked to some of the Pokemon who managed to escape 'The PIT', he told the Rangers about its location. He couldn't speak the humans' language, but he managed to express himself well enough without it. The only reason the Rangers managed to find the place is because Grimm helped some of the captives get out. But there was a massive difference between the stories they've told about Grimm.

The survivors either called him a hero, or a monster.

" _Let's find out which one you truly are…_ " He thought and pointed his arm at Grimm.

 _ **-§-**_

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Asked Cinder, as she and Armor walked down one of the many dark hallways of the underground prison. She couldn't help but worry for the safety of Grimm after seeing him in such a bad shape. Brushes and sore muscles she could handle, but the cut on his face, or bones he'd broken… that was something she could do nothing about. She was also concerned about Grimm's left eye. It doesn't seem to bother Grimm that much, so she hoped it was nothing serious, but a wound like that needed treatment. Treatment she couldn't give…

"I MAY BE OLD, BUT MY MEMORY IS AS SHARP AS EVER!" Replied Armor. They walked for a few minutes before reaching the stairs. "AND NOW, WE MUST GO DOWN!"

Cinder didn't move at first. She hated those stairs. It had no light, it was full of rust and it brought up a lot of bad memories. But there was no helping it. This was the way, and this was where they needed to go.

Cinder sighed and went ahead. "Okay, let's go…"

"WE ARE GOING TO THE SECOND LOWEST LEVEL." He informed Cinder.

"We aren't supposed to go there." She replied softly.

"INDEED" Came the very simple reply.

They went down the dark stairs slowly and carefully, so they wouldn't cause much noise. That last part was particularly difficult for Armor as the stares creaked under him with every step he took.

"WHEN WE REACH OUR DESTINATION, YOU SHOULD GET BEHIND ME, OR STAY OUT OF SIGHT."

"What's the plan anyway?" Cinder asked.

"THE MAIN GENERATORS ARE LOCATED ON THAT FLOOR. IF WE TAKE THEM OUT, IT WILL CAUSE A BLACKOUT IN THE ENTIRE BUILDING. THAT WILL GIVE GRIMM A FEW SECONDS TO GET OUT BEFORE THE BACKUP POWER COMES ONLINE."

"And how will we get the collar off him?"

Armor said nothing, only continued walking.

"If we can't get the collar off him, he'll get zapped the moment Litwick notices something's off."

Armor again said nothing.

Cinder stopped, which caused Armor to come to a halt as well. She slowly turned her head to look at the aggron behind her. There seemed to be no way around the question and they didn't have time to linger around, so Armor finally decided to answer.

"There is no way we can remove the collar from Grimm." He said in a low and hushed tone. They were too close to their destination and he wouldn't want to alert the guards of their arrival.

"The material it was made of is too strong." He continued, ignoring Cinders' shocked expression. "I already tried removing it by force, but to no avail. The only way Grimm could leave the building is, if we were to steal the controller from Litwick and disable its shocking function. That however is impossible."

"What's going to happen to him?" Cinder asked softly.

"When we destroy the generators, he will draw their attention long enough for us and the others to escape in the chaos. We will all be free." Armor answered.

"Not all of us… Not him." Cinder said. She was holding back her tears. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to slap both Grimm and Armor for making such a stupid plan and even keeping it from her. But she wasn't… She was just sad. _"Is this how he dies?"_ She thought. _"Sacrificing himself for others, who think he's nothing but a monster… He doesn't deserve this."_

"He is already free." She heard Armor say as he hugged her. "He made his choice and he lived his life by his own rules. He was always free. Even down here."

 _ **-§-**_

"I surrender!"

I couldn't believe my own ears. Was he serious? Has my hearing been damaged? I mean… the announcer has been shouting nonstop since we started and all that loud voice could be harmful. I had to make sure. I started to pick my ear.

"What?" I asked.

"I said; I surrender!" Blade said again.

" _Oh… It's not my hearing than… That's reassuring…"_ After all the damage my body took, it would've sucked to lose my hearing too. " _Ah… the small miracles of life…"_ Too bad my body still hurt like hell.

My legs hurt;

My ribs hurt;

The cut on my face hurt;

My left eye felt like, it's on fire;

" _Now that I think about it I'm hungry too..."_ I looked own at Blades' arm in my claws. " _I wonder how he tastes like… No! Now is not the time… Back to business…"_

He looked serious. The fear in his eyes vanished and was replaced with determination. He meant what he said, but what was behind his words? One does not simply surrender in a death-match after all.

I sighed. "So you've finally decided to give up?" I asked. He didn't looked like someone who'd give up, but at that point I had no idea what was up with him. He also started to really piss me off. Giving up was a thing I could never forgive, not from a foe, nor an ally. I could understand accepting defeat, but giving up made absolutely no sense to me. Giving up meant, you didn't value you're life enough to fight for it. Giving up meant, you'd run from a challenge before you had the chance to show what you could do. That you didn't believe in yourself enough to even try. And that was unacceptable.

I had fought many who've given up. Well… 'fought' may be the wrong word for it. I usually made it quick, not wanting to further their suffering, but I was always disgusted by it. Not just by myself, but by them as well. I couldn't accept that they would rather lay down and die, rather than fight for their lives. Just because the odds are not in your favor and there seems to be no way of victory, it doesn't mean you have no chance at all! And even even if it does WHO CARES?! Even if in the end you fail, at least when you look back at your life, you can say; you tried! The only way you can truly loose, is if you never even try.

"Is this how much you value your life?" I asked. "Throwing it away in a middle of a fight? Just because you lost an arm, doesn't mean you can quit! FIGHT ME!"

"No." He responded. I was so angry, I was seeing red. I took a step forward, than stopped as he continued.

"I've become a ranger to HELP others!" He began. His voice was strong, steady and didn't carry any hostile intension. "You were right, we did came for Litwick… but that was a mistake in our part. I was so focused in helping others, I forgot someone right in front of me was in need of helping…"

What he said shook me to my core. I was confused. I took a step back, my hands shaking slightly. " _I won't let my guard down just because a few kind words._ "

"I won't fight you any longer." He spoke, as he took a few step towards me. "I'm here to help."

I looked down before my feet, lost in thoughts. " _It can't be that easy… but… if he can help…_ " My breathing began to accelerate. " _It's a trick! It must be!_ "

He took a few more steps and spoke again.

"Please, let me help you…"

 _ **-§-**_

The moment Blade finished speaking, his body began to glow. This glow was recognized by many, if not all people… He was evolving.

As the light consumed his body, Grimms' gaze lifted from the ground. A small grin could be seen on his muzzle. "I guess if you insist on helping us…" He spoke, as he threw the scythes' severed arm at the light. "You'll be needing a hand…"

The arm was absorbed by the light, and when the evolution ended, a shiny scizor stood, where a scythe was before. Both of his arms intact and not a mark on his new armor.

" _Oh, that is SO cheating!"_ Grimm thought as he looked him over. The shiny scizor was truly a sight to behold. Thick golden armor, giant scissors… _"Humans and their naming… It's not even fun anymore… Oh, wait! Those are pincers!"_

In what seemed to be complete awe, Grimm dropped Exs' tusk and started walking towards Blade. He had to admit, the new armor did look good on him. Like a knight in shining armor kind of way… _"He could even look threatening if he didn't have that confused expression on his face."_ He thought.

Though it was understandable. Experiencing a sudden evolution and the reattachment of his arm must've been a lot to take in.

Blade managed to snap out of his shock as he felt Grimms' right hand grabbing his right scissor in a handshake. "Okay, you got yourself a deal." Grimm said.

He suddenly felt Grimm pulling him closer to himself, before he was punched in the face by the zoroarks' left hand. It was not his style to gold back. The force of the punch was so great, it left a small crack in Blades' armor under his right eye and Grimm could swear he felt the bones in his hand cracking. _"That fancy armor is tough."_ He thought.

Grimm took a step forward as Blade fell on the ground. "Now get up and fight me! We don't want anyone getting suspicious now, do we?"

 _ **-§-**_

The sound of gunfire filled the lower floors of the arena, as Armor and Cinder approached the generator room. It didn't really bother Armor, as the bullets just kept bouncing off his body. The only way the guards could've been seriously hurt him, was is they could manage to hit him in the eye, but lucky for him, that idea didn't occurred to them.

When he got close enough, he grabbed both guards by their wests and knocked their heads together, effectively knocking them out. It didn't take much effort, since he was twice their size and more than five times their weight. He was sure they were unconscious, so he carefully placed them on either side of hallway. He wasn't the hot blooded, or murder type, as I'm sure you've noticed.

As the gunfire ceased, Cinder slowly walked out behind Armor and began to search one of the guards. Their clothes, or weapons were useless to her, but maybe she could find something that could come handy. "Let's see if one of them has a key…"

"NO TIME FOR THAT!" Came Armors reply, as he ripped out the iron door from the end of the hallway, like it was a peace of cardboard. It wasn't such a simple task, as knocking the guards out, but he seemed to be in good enough shape to handle it. He didn't manage to live this long by doing nothing, as he would say.

Cinder was amazed by Armors' incredible straight. Of course she knew he was strong, as she usually saw him move the cages or other heavy stuff, but never anything on this scale.

As they stepped inside the hole on the wall, where the door used to be, they saw three generators. Each generator was twice the size of Armor, but that wasn't a problem. He just needed to smash them, not lift them and even the electricity in them wasn't an issue. Armor could've fell thru the electric grid over the fighting arena and wouldn't feel a thing.

"AND NOW, WE WAIT." He said, as he sat down in the middle of the room.

"WHAT?!" Cinder shouted at him, with a matching volume. "You just told me, we have no time and now you tell me to wait?"

"INDEED." Came the simple reply, which was a usual response from Armor.

"Okay…" Cinder began, than gave a big sigh. "Waiting for what?" She asked calmly. She wanted to be angry, but anger would not serve her in this situation, so she made a mental note, to shout at him, when they get out. Him and Grimm… or just Grimm…

"WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL..."

"What signal?"

 _ **-§-**_

Blade was not having a good time. Sure his unexpected evolution may have healed his wounds and reattached his arm, but it also changed his body and typing. That may not seem like a bad thing, but with no fighting experience in his new form, his attacks were slow and awkward. Grimm gave him no breathing room either. The zoroark might've been slower, thanks to his injuries, but he had shown no mercy. His attacks were still, just as brutal and precise as before. Blades' new steel armor provided great protection against Grimms' attacks, however it also slowed him down tremendously, making him as easy target for Grimm, to beat up, just like a giant punching bag.

And so, he found himself knocked down, laying on the floor yet again.

"GET UP!" Grimm shouted from the top of his lungs. "If you want to help, you have to beat me! Stop messing around and FIGHT!"

Grimm was worn out, from fighting for as long as he has, with his injuries, but he was only a few steps from his goal. There was no stopping now. He just had to push on and not pass out from blood loss, or exaction. " _Easier said, than done…_ "

Blade got up and looked at Grimm. The zoroark wasn't making it easy, but he had to win. They bought dashed at each other. The only move Grimm could use at that point was 'Night Slash' as he couldn't muster the speed necessary to use 'Foul Play' anymore. Blade had no idea what kind of moves he could use, so he only punch the zoroark with his massive pincers. When they were in range, Blade punched at Grimms' head, only for the zoroark to duck under his arm and slash him across his chest. As Grimms' claws scratched the surface of Blades' armor, it made a terrible shrieking sound, which caused Grimm to fall on his knees, holding his ears in pain. The sound was loud enough to be heard across the whole building and given the highly sensitive ears of the zoroark, it was safe to say; Grimm was in much pain. Oh, those poor fluffy ears…

While Grimm felt like his brain was about to flow out thru his ears, Blade had more than enough time to make his move. He grabbed Grimm by the throat, lifted him from the ground and began to slowly squeeze his pincers together, choking him in the process.

"I really hope you know what you're doing." Blade said quietly.

"That makes two of us…" Grimm managed to squeeze out. "Just make sure to keep your end of the deal."

 _ **-§-**_

The crowd screamed with excitement. Most of them betted on the zoroark to win, but they didn't seemed to care that much. Seeing a fight like this, more than made up for the money they were about to lose. At least for the most of them. Those people that really counted, were not having such a good time and some even left when the odds weren't in Grimms' favor anymore.

Matthew Litwick enjoyed the sight from his office. He was worried at the beginning, as Ex knocked out the scyther, but couldn't even touch Grimm. However as the match progressed, it became clear, that Grimm had begun to feel his limits. He became slower and started to take some hits as well. Things were going well. It would only take a couple of minutes before the zoroark bites the dust.

As Blade lifted Grimm from the ground, the crowd began to chant.

"KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!"

" _This is it!_ " He thought happily as the crowds cheering filled the arena. There was not one place this yelling couldn't be heard.

 _ **-§-**_

" _This is it!_ " Armor thought.

 _ **-§-**_

Blade continued to slowly squeeze the zoroarks throat, before he heard a loud ping. The collar has broken…

In the next moment, every light went out of the building, covering everyone in complete darkness. No one know what was going on. When the lights turned back on a few seconds later, everyone went silent. No one dared to break the silence as they took in the sight before them. There was a hole in the grid and there were only two Pokemon left in the fighting area. Grimm has vanished. Even Blade looked surprised, as he lowered his now empty pincers and looked at the hole in the grid abode them. " _How did he…_ "

"HE'S LOOSE! COVER THE ENTRANCE AND FIND HIM!" One of the guards shouted. It didn't take long until panic started to spread around in the crowd. Everyone wanted to get to the entrance and get out before they could ran into Grimm. A single gunshot silenced the crowd for a second time. "EVERYBODY ON THE GROUND! YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE UNOVA RANGERS!" John shouted. After that… all hell broke loose.

" _I have to get to John!_ " Blade thought. That brave fool, just made himself the biggest target in the room. " _I just hope Grimm can pull this off, without killing any rangers, who gets in his way._ "

 _ **-§-**_

After I made my exit, I ran as fast as my tiered legs could carry me. I memorized the whole buildings layout a few years before I made my first escape attempt, so navigation was not a problem. I could've got to the exit and made my way out in a few minutes, but that was not my main objective. I had to get to the others first. The guards didn't gave my much trouble. They either run as soon as they saw me, or fell to my claws and teeth. Even in the narrow hallways, I could easily avoid their bullets and reach their throats. I didn't even looked back their lifeless bodies fell to the ground. I just didn't care…

It took me a couple of minutes to reach the holding cells on the lower levels. Armor and Cinder has already began to free the others by the time I arrived.

"Armor! Change of plans!" I said as I walked up behind him.

"Grimm?" They both said. "How did-"

"No time for that!" I couth them off, holding up a hand. "The rangers are here!" I stated. That bit of news started a mumbling among the captives, but it quickly ceased after they realized I wasn't done talking. I took a deep breath and addressed the captives. "LISTEN UP! Since the rangers showed up, we won't be making our way out. You'll stay right where you are, and wait till they make their way down and get you. You'll be safe with them. Armor and King will cover the entrances, so the remaining guards can't get to you." The aggron and nidoking nodded in agreement.

I turned around, but before I could leave, Cinder grabbed my arm.

"And what will you be doing?" Cinder asked, concern in her voice. S _he was nearly in tears again too._

 _"I don't have time to deal with this!"_ _I thought. "I made a deal with one of the rangers. I catch Litwick for them and I go free." I said. I turned to leave again, but she still wouldn't let me go. Obviously it wasn't her grip that prevented me from going. I just… couldn't leave her like this. Without a word I grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a deep passionate kiss. I had no idea why I did it, but it felt like I'd regret it later if I didn't. I had kissed her on the cheek before, but just to make her feel better… so she could know that I care for her. This… this was completely different. It only lasted for a minute, but it felt like hours. I never wanted it to end, but I had work to do. I broke the kiss and looked deep into her eyes, with my remaining right eye. My face was completely serious and I said the first thing that came to my mind._

 _"I'll come back for you." I said. "No matter where, no matter what happens, I will find you. Just wait for me, okay? I promise!"_

Whit that said, I turned to the exit and vanished.

" _Just wait for me…"_

I made my way to Litwicks' office with little difficulty. There were only two guards guarding the entrance and it only took me a few seconds before they both laid down on either side of the door, with their throats ripped open. I imagined most of the guards cleared off, or got captured by the rangers by the time I got there, however before I could open the door, I heard a gunshot to my left. I reacted instantly. I grabbed the body of one of the guards by the back of its neck and held it in front of me like a shield. I could hear as something pierced the dead guards' chest before I took a closer look at my attacker. It was a woman in ranger outfit, holding a tranquilizer gun. Shocked at the sight of the dead body I was holding, she gave me just the time I needed to get the helmet off the other guard and toss it to hear head with full force, knocking her out. By the time she wakes up, I'll be long gone.

Entering the office, there was no scene of Litwick, not that he expected be to any. Despite the fact that he was an extremely cold and cruel man, I had to admit Litwick was by no means a fool. He was probably smarter, than all my previous owners combined, so there was a pretty good chance, he had a secret escape route built into his office. I just had to find the switch that opens it. The first place I looked was the top drawer of his desk. I noticed, how he often looked at that direction, when we had our little talks. As I carefully opened the drawer, I saw a little round red button. _"Got you…"_

 _ **-§-**_

Litwick made his way to his private helicopter accompanied by his four bodyguards. Dealing with Grimm would be bad enough, but now the rangers as well… He'd have to disappear for a while and maybe start over in a different region. It wouldn't be the end of the world… but it would cost him tremendously. And then there was the matter of Grimm. With the zoroark free, there was no telling what kind of damage he could cause, just by talking to the right people. He needed to eliminate him as soon as possible, but with his collar removed, he was out of his reach.

Just as the helicopter took off, they could all see the Litwick mansion. The building lost all of its former glory. The windows were broken, the garden was in ruins and small fires started all across the surroundings areas by either the people, or Pokemon fighting each other. The place was a battlefield.

Among the guards and rangers fighting on the ground, they could see Grimm charging their way at full speed. The guards on the helicopter opened fire at him, but he was able to doge them just like Exs' 'Draco Meteor' earlier that night. He jumped off the ground and dived straight for the helicopter. Grimm jumped on the side of the helicopter and pierced its case with his claws. Dark energy cowered his right claws, as he used a powerful 'Night Slash' to cut the tail clean off. Taking advantage of the passengers chock, he then grabbed Litwick from his seat and jumped off the vehicle before it could hit the ground.

Litwick let out a breath he didn't even know was holding at the sight of his escape crashing into the ground.

 _ **-§-**_

As I saw him sitting on the ground before me, ready to piss himself, I had no idea what to do. The man who inflicted five years of pain and suffering on me and so many others, was at my mercy. I wanted to kill him. Not because of what he did, but because that would've been the easiest solution. He posed a problem for me and if I killed him, I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up from the ground, just like Blade did to me previously. It would've been so easy. It wouldn't even require an effort.

"NO! Please!" He managed to squeeze out. "I'll do anything! Just spare me! Please!"

And now he was begging. I knew it the moment I first laid eyes on him he was nothing but a coward. He may've looked cool and collected, but behind all that, he was afraid. I could see it all, from the very beginning. How he always carried the remote of my chocking collar in his hand, when he'd talk to me. How he tried to buy my loyalty by giving me Cinder. How he'd order his guards to beat me until I passed out. Now the man I knew he was, was finally there for the whole world to see.

I held him like this for quite a while, before all the noise finally died down around us. As I turned my head I could see the rangers behind me. Surprisingly they didn't point their gun at me. Perhaps they knew, they couldn't stop me from killing Litwick, or perhaps they didn't even want to. Finally I saw Blade stepping forward from the crowd. He didn't say anything. He just stood there in silence. The expression on my face, or lack thereof, must've surprised him.

"Grimm…" Blade finally said. He didn't really knew what to say, which is kind of fitting, since I didn't really know what to do. I was confused. I never planned this far ahead. I always wanted to be free, but now that I was… I had no idea what to do.

I needed to make a decision. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. After I looked Blade in the eye and gave a small nod, I tossed Litwick to his feet, with a simple motion. It was over.

I watched as the rangers tied Litwick up with the rest of them, I started to cry. Or rather tears began to flow from my good eye. It was finally over. I fell on my back, exhausted from all the thing that happened to me tonight. I watched the night sky, the moon and all the beautiful stars my eye could see, as my tears continued to flow. A large and toothy smile formed on my face as I lost consciousness. It was all over… and I was finally free.

 _ **-§-**_

 **Authors Note:** _Thank you all, for reading my story until now. The story is far from over and I will continue to update it, but it may take a while considering I am incredibly lazy and/or have other things to do. Still, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read what I managed to write so far._

 _When I first started to write, all I wanted was that, if someone who took the time to read it, looking back they would not consider it a waste of their time. And if there was only two or three people, who took the time and read my work and didn't felt like they were wasting their time or even managed to enjoy it, that would be enough for me and I would be satisfied. (Thank you for your comments! They are much appreciated!)_

 _For all you good sirs and madams, who enjoyed the story so far, please don't be afraid to leave a comment. Even if you have nothing helpful to say, your thoughts on the story and/or encouragement means the world to me and I'll be happy to read it._

 _Thank you for your time and attention and have a good day(night)!_


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